Planning for 2015 Holiday Shipping

During the dog days of summer, it seems as if the holidays reside far in the distant future.  The reality is that your preparations for the holiday season should be well under way by now!  Just a few of the steps you should be working through are:

1. Forecasting 2015 holiday sales.
2. Assessing your current inventory against the forecast, translating that into inventory requirements, and beginning to coordinate with your suppliers.
3. Planning your logistics management to keep a close eye on your inbound product.
4. Determining how you’ll store and manage that inventory when it arrives.
5. Defining your sales strategy
6. Monitoring key holiday shipping dates and costs – and their impact on your strategy and bottom line:
• UPS: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/about/news/service_updates/20150806_transit_time.html?WT.mc_id=VAN701482
• FedEx: http://www.fedex.com/us/service-guide/holiday-schedule.html

A commonly understated component in your sales strategy is shipping to your consumers – how fast will the order get to the customer, and will shipping be discounted or free?  Will delivery speed and cost vary based on the customer and or order size?  Will you offer discounted or free shipping when you follow up on abandoned online shopping carts as an incentive to close the sale?  In addition, what are your options to make the delivery, and ensure the customer’s experience is positive and their expectations are met?  No one wants a replay of the 2013 holiday season, with gifts arriving after the big day!

Your fulfillment partner can help you ensure that you meet your shipping deadlines, all the while still balancing the highest degree of customer support and flexibility.  They can be a key partner in crafting your inventory and shipping strategies.  Have that discussion now, and sleep better tonight!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Why Your 3PL Should Be Your Strategic Partner

The need to manage and reduce costs is nothing new.  And the centralization of logistics services and automation offered by 3PLs have enabled companies to bundle and outsource complex logistics functions, leading to more efficient operations and in many cases, allowing the companies to capitalize on the 3PLs infrastructure, resources and relationships.   All good so far, right?

The problem arises when those companies begin to view the 3PL as a commodity provider rather than a strategic partner.  “The recent white paper, “Unpacking Risk Shifting: A White Paper Challenging Unreasonable Risk-Shifting in the Transportation Industry,” written by what could be viewed as a collection of logistics “all-stars,” including academics, 3PLs and shippers, and consultants, makes the argument that the relationships have swung too far toward commoditization and away from strategic partnerships.  Companies “…want innovation and investment by 3PLs, with 3PLs reluctant to deliver, citing how ‘razor thin margins and short-term commodity-based contracts create a disincentive for 3PLs to make investments.’”¹   That’s bad for both sides of the transaction:  3PLs may turn away business, or even go out of business.  Companies may not be able to find a 3PL willing to work with them.  Both sides lose.

Contrast that with a more balanced relationship that builds on the success of both the company and the 3PL.  As a strategic partner, your 3PL is in a position to invest in the future, supporting the success of both organizations.  They can be the innovative solution provider that your company relies on, rather than just the folks who get the package from point A to point B.  When the next crisis or amazing opportunity arises, will you have a strategic 3PL partner to help you solve the problem or capitalize on that great new opportunity?  

Talk to Vision today, to learn how we can be your strategic 3PL partner, building a future together.  Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

¹http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/shifting_risk_and_meeting_in_the_middle_could_serve_as_key_to_shipper_3pl_r

Stacking your B2B pitch deck for success

Congratulations!  You finally got your foot in the door to present your product line to your dream big box retailer (e.g. Walmart, Target, etc.) and you’re putting together your presentation and the team to deliver it.  This is your big chance to break into B2B (business to business) commerce.  But what else can you do to stack the deck in your favor and convert that presentation into an order?

First, know that the demands of B2B (business to business) e-commerce differ significantly from those of B2C (business to consumer).  B2B fulfillment tend to be heavily weighted towards accuracy – typically requiring compliance with a very detailed and exacting “routing guide” provided by the retailer.  Failure to follow these specifications can result in very large penalties, or “charge backs” – and too many problems can derail future orders.    

Adding a strategic 3PL partner to your team demonstrates not only your understanding of B2B logistics requirements, but also your dedication to making the relationship work efficiently from the get go.  It’s just one more factor that weigh in on the side of the “Yes, let’s do business” equation – and it’s a factor you can control.   At Vision, we have decades of expertise with hundreds of successful retail program implementations under our belt.  Ask us specifically about our successful history of chargeback management.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Why go 3PL?

Business is always competitive, but the current environment of rapidly evolving technologies makes it even more so these days.  Product development, customer acquisition, global competition – there are so many areas you need to execute with excellence - but is logistics one of them?  Should it be?

Using a 3PL fulfillment company (a third-party logistics provider) allows you to outsource part, or all, of your supply chain management functions.  Basically, you outsource the storage of your product (warehousing) as well as the fulfillment, or shipping of your product to the end consumer (fulfillment).  By outsourcing logistics to a firm for whom supply chain management is the focus, you’re able to capitalize on their experience, infrastructure and industry relationships.   A 3PL can provide a flexible and scalable logistics solution option, helping you manage the changing demands of seasonal highs and lows and growth.  Rather than trying to navigate the swiftly evolving transportation environment of today with no map, a great 3PL partner can guide you to solutions for managing rising transportation costs and supply chain challenges, allowing you to focus on your product rather than how to get it where it needs to be - and that can be key to your company’s success.  So go 3PL and talk to Vision – we can help you understand and plan for your transportation future.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

What Is 3PL Fulfillment?

You’ve probably seen or heard the term 3PL tossed around when the conversation turns to logistics.  But just what is a 3PL?  According to Wikipedia, “A third-party logistics provider (abbreviated 3PL, or sometimes TPL) is a firm that provides service to its customers of outsourced (or "third party") logistics services for part, or all of their supply chain management functions.”  But what does that actually mean?  And why should you even care?

The logistics provided by a 3PL can include warehousing, transportation management software, freight rate negotiation, in-depth reporting, forecasting, freight bill auditing and more. In some instances, a 3PL will specialize in certain industries, or types of logistics such as international commerce.  There are many benefits a 3PL can bring to your organization.

Because logistics is their core competency, they can deliver cost and time savings while providing a depth of experience based knowledge and industry relationships.  You use the 3PL’s equipment and infrastructure, rather than building your own, which lowers your capital commitment.  And key to managing the changing demands of seasonal highs and lows and growth, a 3PL can provide a flexible and scalable logistics solution option.  Given the swiftly evolving transportation environment of today, a partner who can bring solutions to managing rising transportation costs and supply chain challenges can be key to your company’s success.  Talk to Vision – we can help you understand and plan for your transportation future.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How To Manage Rising Freight Costs

As Mike Regan, Chief of Relationship Development for TranzAct Technologies, recently discussed on www.logisticsmgmt.com, transportation costs could see rate increases of 15% to 20% over the next three years. 

There are multiple trends driving these increases, but among the key points are the change to Dimensional (DIM) parcel pricing by UPS and FedEx (among others), the impact of meeting expanding regulatory requirements (think safety, fuel efficiency and emissions reductions), and no end in sight to the challenges in driver recruiting and retention, which is pushing labor costs higher and impacting capacity.

Add in the changing delivery demands such as increasing last-mile volume and tight capacity supply for some niches, and it seems a given that transportation costs are going nowhere but up.

Rising freight costs impact the bottom line.  So – have you briefed your c level executives regarding the future of transportation costs?  No one likes to be blind-sided, especially by bad news.  As the saying goes, “Bad news doesn’t age well.”  Executives want the opportunity to proactively look for solutions rather than dealing with fallout.  They also need to accurately forecast and plan for the future and that means it’s critical that they have this information.  But how do you know what’s going to impact your organization?  What are the options for managing the future changes and increased shipping costs?  You know your boss is going to ask – and that’s where a great fulfillment partner can help.  Transportation is the backbone of their business, and they’re on top of the trends and working on ways to optimize their options to their partners’ benefit.  Talk to Vision – we can help you understand and plan for your transportation future.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

The changing demands of last mile delivery

Not all that long ago, we used to order small stuff online.  If it was a major purchase, which usually translated to physically large, it was made in person, and the delivery handled by the company you purchased it from.  And they had their own delivery infrastructure in place.  Contrast that with today, with Brad Jacobs, XPO chairman and CEO, pointing out in a recent interview that “…just three or four years ago, most people would not buy a major appliance,like a refrigerator, an oven or large pieces of furniture, or other heavy goodsonline, whereas now, these types of online purchases can be viewed ascommonplace.”¹  And that means the demands associated with last mile delivery have changed – drastically.

Now, “…there are more than 4,000 local carriers (couriers) in North America, and very few of them operate nationally or even regionally, which means companies have to work with a patchwork of couriers in every market they serve. And most of these couriers use proprietary software systems to manage their operations — if they use any software at all! And in some cases, service providers subcontractdeliveries to other agents in the market, which adds another layer ofcomplexity.”²  So how do you navigate this maze and manage costs, protect your brand, and get your product into your customer’s hands?  The right fulfillment partner can help you choose the path(s) that best meet your needs – with our complete logistics offerings, including local cartage, domestic, custom brokerage, international and small parcel shipping, Vision goes far beyond basic 3PL fulfillment services.  Contact us to build a solution to your last mile delivery conundrum!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How to keep your logistics strategy current

The logistics environment is far from static – weather, strikes and high seasonal volumes can all impact your ability to get your product in your customers’ hands – not to mention changes in technology, best practices, and operational management. How do you keep your logistics strategy current in an ever-changing environment?

The answer is to leverage your fulfillment services partner. They should be dialed in to the latest industry news and ready to employ those options on your behalf. They can provide ideas on transportation, logistics, foreign trade zones, carrier operations, warehouse technologies, customer service, and more. Here at Vision, we embrace change and help our customers to leverage change to maximize return and strategically grow their business.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own. We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business. Call or email us to learn how. We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Snow storms and port closures – how do you get your products delivered?

The headlines of late trumpet the impact of the extreme weather on the east coast – flights cancelled, roads closed, and staff unable to get to the office.  And then add daily updates about the Los Angeles/Long Beach port closures, and their impact on retailers.  “Even a partial shutdown of operations is a big deal here. At the combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, about $1 billion worth of cargo comes through every day.” So how do you get your products delivered?

A fulfillment services partner can help you get your products where they need to go by leveraging their knowledge and experience in logistics – even during bad weather and port closures.  They’ll know where your product is and how to manage disruptions.  Vision’s extensive experience in logistics tracking and planning services encompasses the full spectrum of options.  From domestic less-than-truckload, truckload, rail, and air service - all managed with web-based rating tools and daily tracking to shipment delivery, international import / export air and ocean services, and local cartage and small parcel shipping, Vision can help you manage the bumps in the road on the way to getting your products in the customers’ hands.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com
CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Start prepping for the 2015 Holiday season – it’s closer than you think!

Nine months may seem like an eternity, but when it comes being prepared for the holiday sales and shipping season, it’s frighteningly short amount of time.  Are you defining or refining your web and mobile strategies?  Do you have the infrastructure in place to support them?  What about your products?  Do you have the right mix?  Is it available in the right places, allowing you to get it into your customers’ hands quickly?  And do you have your logistics plan in place to make that connection and deliver to your customers quickly and cost-effectively?  The right fulfillment partner can help with all of these!

A full-service fulfillment partner such as Vision can provide integrated services, seamlessly meshing e-commerce, inventory management and logistics.  Begin with a complete turnkey e-commerce web store for your individual brand, fully optimized for today’s organic SEO algorithms.  Analyze your inventory turn and velocity rates, to maximize inventory efficiency and plan for product demand based on real data.  And capitalize on Vision’s shipping expertise and purchasing power to minimize shipping costs while meeting customers’ shipping expectations.  Implement any changes needed, so when holiday 2015 arrives, you’re ready to smoothly navigate the season.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com
CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How can using outsourcing maximize your potential on the Trade Show circuit?

A Trade Show can provide a great opportunity for new sales contacts, critical partner relationship development, and an assessment of the competition.  You want to capitalize on the business opportunities.  Unfortunately, by the time you arrange to get your trade show assets such as a booth, computer displays, and marketing materials to the show and then get everything set-up at the show, you’re often too exhausted and frazzled to truly be “on” for actual show itself! So how do you stay focused on your purpose for being at the trade show and not get distracted by the details?

 
Outsource!  Have someone else get all your tradeshow assets to the show and set-up, so you can remain focused on which contacts to pursue, your strategy for successfully closing deals and executing with maximum focus and energy.  Vision’s trade show services can provide a turnkey solution to managing what is usually a salesperson’s greatest headache. Vision can store, manage, ship, and even setup all of your trade show assets. We have decades of experience providing support for some of the most grueling and challenging circuits.  So you can remain focused on your business – and let us focus on the logistics.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com
CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How to manage fluctuating fulfillment volumes

Let’s face it – no matter how detailed the inputs, how carefully we plan, forecasting is, at the end of the day, our best guess at the future.  And sometimes, we just get it wrong.  Maybe demand for a product skyrocketed or the market took a sharp turn – and that can leave us scrambling to adapt and manage the new reality.  How can you efficiently manage your fulfillment resources to meet your changing needs?

Even the biggest companies have to deal with this. After the fiasco of undelivered holiday gifts in 2013, UPS planned extensively and added thousands of additional workers along with investing heavily to improve and expand logistics operations in preparation for the 2014 holiday season.  But while they nailed on-time deliveries, on less busy days workers and trucks were left unused – and that resulted in lower than forecast earnings and the biggest drop in share price since 2008.

Partnering with the right fulfillment company can help you manage those fluctuating volumes.  You use the resources you need, scaling up and down as appropriate – and that’s what you pay for.  Fulfillment companies, with their wide variety of clients, can often manage and offset those fluctuations behind the scenes, leaving you with the support you need, no more and no less.  Talk to Vision to see how we can help you efficiently manage your fulfillment operations and the ever-changing volume demands!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Are you prepared to capitalize on the explosive growth in mobile e-commerce?

The 2014 holiday shopping season saw retail sales on mobile devices jump over 27% year over year.  Smartphone revenue grew faster than traffic, another impressive statistic since smartphone traffic increases often mean more research or browsing on their smartphones but with a decreasing conversion rate.  Does your customer experience support mobile?

According to Hayley Silver, vice president of Bizrate Insights, “To take advantage of the growth in mobile phone usage in retail, retailers need to continue to optimize their web site experiences and ensure they are providing legible and useful information to the customer who intends to buy online as well as those who intend to buy offline.  Furthermore, retailers need to look at both online and offline store sales as being positively impacted by the growth in mobile phone access to their web sites.”

The customer experience is everything in an e-commerce store. Today’s savvy shoppers expect beautiful online stores with lots of images, community reviews and ratings, social media integration, and more – all while delivering an intuitive and easy to navigate experience.  Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment provides a great first impression for your customers including a hassle-free and modern e-commerce experience.

Check out our e-commerce store demo here:  http://visioncpfdemostore.azurewebsites.net

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com
CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How to meet the needs of e-commerce logistics

2014 is projected to see U.S. e-commerce sales increase year over year by 13% per IBM, and for the first time, e-commerce sales outpaced brick and mortar sales over the Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales period although overall sales were actually down from 2013.  The composition of sales for many companies is shifting to a heavier weighting of e-commerce transactions.  But how does warehouse fulfillment for e-commerce differ from that of traditional sales?  And how do you manage those changes?

First, the opportunities to drive efficiencies of fulfilling and moving product in bulk that are found in traditional logistics disappear, to be replaced by direct-to-consumer orders that are one-by-one ane-commerce fulfillment lifecycle can be a lifeline when managing the challenges of e-commerce logistics efficiently.

This would require a pick, pack and ship operation.  Second, e-commerce sales are highly promotion driven, resulting in large swings in order volumes (even changing from day to day).  And last, online orders tend to be unpredictable, both in terms of overall volumes and product popularity (a single mention in the right social media venue can drive sales through the roof unexpectedly).  A partner experienced in supporting an

Vision Media Management can help you manage the e-commerce challenges of individualized orders and quickly changing volumes through effective use of technologies such as intelligent order sequencing, predictive packaging, and pick to voice adaptive technology. Call us to learn more about the solutions we offer to support your e-commerce business – which can result in reduced costs and an improved customer experience.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

2014 Holiday Shipping Dates

The following article by Retail Online Integration illustrates concerns from retailers following last year’s holiday season shipping delays.

In the 2013 holiday season, many retailers broker their Christmas delivery promise due to a heavier volume of last minute orders.  To prevent a repeat this year in 2014, retailers are now moving up the shipping deadline to compensate.

Your fulfillment partner can help you ensure that you meet your shipping deadlines, all the while still balancing the highest degree of customer support and flexibility.  Have that discussion now, and sleep
better tonight!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual cu
stomer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com
CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Port of Los Angeles 2014 Holiday Planning for Fulfillment Operations

The holiday season is rapidly approaching for 2014, and already there are concerns about potential delays routing imports through the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  The port is the nation’s biggest container hub.  This article posted on Bloomberg states that after ending the previous holiday season with too much merchandise stacked in warehouses, this year U.S. retailers face the opposite – they may not have enough.

Logistics planning is a key service that your third party fulfillment partner can provide.  Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment can provide expertise and system-driven milestone management services for monitoring your product, beginning with the source manufacturer all the way through to the fulfillment warehouse.

This management insight and insider knowledge is even more critical when potential delays are encountered as mentioned in the article.  Expediting product through the port and associated paperwork can translate into revenue either gained or lost.  It’s early November now – and never too late to have this conversation with your fulfillment warehouse.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Kitting and Assembly Services in Fulfillment

A common function in a warehouse fulfillment operation is Kitting and Assembly.  This typically involves master kitting, final assembly, disassembly, re-work, and more.  This can be a requirement to prepare product for sale/shipping, as well as in repurposing product inventory.

The best production services are those that are flexible and can easily switch between automation and manual solutions – thus matching the best approach with each situation.  In addition, a company that has the ability to find the similarities within dissimilar processes, can provide a greater return on investment in both situations.

One conversation with our insightful team will convince you of Vision’s ability to plan, streamline, and execute kitting and assembly services.  You will be amazed at our efficiency and flexibility.  Please contact us to discuss your project – we would love to present our ideas.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

The Key to Fulfillment Efficiency

A key competitive advantage which can make a significant impact on Fulfillment Efficiency is the ability to find the similarities within dissimilar processes.  Definitely a mouthful, but this is a game changer.

Operational productivity is almost always improved by creating repetitive processes.  This allows management to adjust and enhance aspects of the operation in order to streamline efficiency.  At first glance many warehouse and fulfillment operations can appear to be completely unrelated, thus requiring separate and unique processes.  However, finding the commonality in disparate processes is even more critical, and potentially even more rewarding in these situations.  A fulfillment operation must strive to break down these processes and identify elements which can be combined for greater scale, share-ability of resources, and standardization of procedures.

It all begins with breaking down the process into smaller components.  In addition, ask the people on the scene; the individuals who perform the processes usually have a unique insight into the processes they perform.  Leverage them as the valuable assets they are!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Foreign Trade Zone Benefits

A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) can be a game changer for a company who manufactures and imports its products into the Port of Los Angeles, or any company near a port operation.  There are significant benefits to be gained by taking advantage of an FTZ.

Some of the main benefits include:

·         Duty Deferral on Product. Inventory is brought into the Foreign Trade Zone and held, without duties and taxes being assessed, until the product leaves the FTZ - presumably to be fulfilled as a paid order to a customer.

·         Port Fees Reduction. For importers that are bringing in more than 1 container per week, there can be significant reductions in the port fees by utilizing a Foreign Trade Zone.

·         Duty Elimination on Product. Inventory re-exported or destroyed without ever leaving the Foreign Trade Zone does not ever get taxed as a US import.

·         Speed to Market. Product destined for the Foreign Trade Zone bypasses customs delays in the port because it will clear customs in the FTZ, thereby getting product available to sell sooner.

Using a Foreign Trade Zone helps to more consistently align the cost of your product with the revenue event, thus impacting both profitability and cash flow.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Accredited Zone Specialist (AZS) – Foreign Trade Zone Certification

A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) can’t simply be a location – the certification to manage an FTZ is also a critical component.  Becoming an Accredited Zone Specialist (AZS) provides training, qualification, and key technology systems to manage and leverage the zone.

Beyond these benefits, becoming accredited also helps to not only stay current on the various qualifications, it also helps to ensure compliance with the applicable laws and regulations.  This ensures that the Foreign Trade Zone Certification isn’t simply a piece of paper – it illustrates the expertise and dedication to maintaining a successful zone.

If you are a shipping customer looking to take advantage of the many benefits of a Foreign Trade Zone, be sure that the company you choose is an Accredited Zone Specialist.  Ask to see their credentials, and more importantly, ask to see the processes, technology, and their people – the experts!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com